One of South Derbyshire’s most famous country homes is the subject of a new novel exploring the adventures of a young wartime evacuee.

Jessica Collett’s young adult fantasy adventure story is based upon Calke Abbey, near Ticknall, and is entitled The Girl in the Abbey.

Inspired by the past, Jessica Collett’s book focuses on the dark times of the Second World War, when children were evacuated from cities and sent to safety, or so they thought...

The story follows Violet Cobb, a fearless girl from Grimsby, who suddenly finds herself far away from her friends when she is evacuated to Bramblingham Abbey, which sits in a quiet village crumbling from neglect behind an ever-expanding jungle of vegetation.

Keen for companionship, Violet befriends a girl called Sarah who claims to be the granddaughter of the mysterious owner of the Abbey. It isn’t long however before Violet soon discovers that Bramblingham Abbey isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Author Jessica Collett lives and works in Grantham, Lincolnshire, and said: “The aspiration behind my writing is to highlight the presence of female characters to highlight the trials and tribulations that women may face through their lives."

She has previously published young adult fiction and her play ‘Mother, Crone, Maiden’ was performed as part of the Page to Stage festival in Liverpool to excellent reviews.

The book is on sale now at £7.99 and is available by visiting this website.